Headgear



Sept. 18, 1951 I F. H. KAHN 2,568,399

' HEADGEAR Filed April 6, 1948 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. FAITH HOPE KAHN.

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AT 'O FQNEY F. H. KAHN Sept. 18, 1951 HEADGEAR 2 SheetS-Sheet 2 Filed April 6, 1948 JNVENTO/Q. FA/TH HOPE KAHN.

Patented Sept. 18, 1951 l UNITED v PATENT OFFICE HEADGEAB. Faith Hope Kahn, New York, N. Y. Application April 6, 1948, Serial No. 19,214

This invention relates to headgear for drying the hair after the hair has been washed, and for other purposes.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of headgear which is readily applicable to the damp head after the hair has been washed and which may be worn comfortablyuntilthe hair becomes completely dry. It may be worn on the head when the wearer is up and about, as well as when asleep in bed, since it does not in any way interfere with normal activities such as household duties.

It is a well-known fact that many women find it desirable to wash their hair at night before retiring. This usually necessitates sitting up several hours waiting for the hair to thoroughly dry after the primary drying, since for obvious reasons it is not desirable to go to bed with a wet head. The present device may be used in cases such as this since it may be applied immediately after the hair is washed and has received its primary drying and it may be worn to-bed.

A corollary object of the invention is the provision of headgear as described, which is very useful in keeping the head warm, especially after it has been washed, in the wintertime in a' house that is none too well heated. v 1

Still another object of this invention is the provision of headgear of the character described,

which is adapted to protect the bed clothes in 6 cases where the wearer goes to bed with damp hair.

A further object of this invention is the provision of headgear of the "character described,

which is adjustable to heads of' different sizes so that it is not necessary to make such headgear in a plurality of sizes.

Still another object isthe provision of headgear of the character described, which is adjustable about the head, and which is adapted to hold tightly in place whether it is worn in bed or while the wearer attends to her household-chores.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment thereof.-

3 Claims. (01. 2-174) .2 head while the head is being held in the positionshown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 shows the next step in the application of said headgear, which comprises fastening it tightly about the head.

Fig. 8 shows the headgear tightly fastened about the head;

Fig. 9 shows the next step in its application, which comprises holding its free ends'in'both hands and raising them as far as they will go above the head.

Fig. 10 shows still another step in the process, which step comprises pulling the free ends down below the head on both sidesthereof, preparatory to fastening said ends together under the chin.

Fig. 11 shows the ends of said headgear fastened together under the I chin.

Fig. 12 is a view of the back of a head showing the appearance of such headgear when enclosing the hair of a wearer.

Referring. now to Fig. l of the drawing, it will be seen that the headgear herein claimed, comprises a substantially tubular member 20 which is open at the top end 2! and which may also be open at the bottom end 22. This tubular member may be made of any suitable material, such as toweling, or other absorbent textile material. Although it is described as tubular, it is shown in-the drawing to lie flat upon itself. By tubular is meant material such as toweling which is made without side edges or seams and which is transversely endless. Of course, sheet material which does have two welt-defined side edges may also be used for the purposes of the present invention, but it should be folded over as shown in Fig. 1, and closed along the side edges in order to render it suitable for use herein.

The tubular member 20 is provided with a substantially V-shaped opening 25 at its upper end 2!, and the side edges along said opening may be hemmed or bound together for greater strength. This is also true of the top and bottom ends since they too may be hemmed or bound to prevent them from unraveling and to give them additional strength.

The V-shaped opening 25 is shown to be somewhat off center, being nearer the left side of the headgear'as viewed in the drawing than the right side. Along the left side edge of the V-shaped opening 25 is a plurality of fastening hooks 25. on the opposite side of the V-shaped opening and spaced a substantial distance therefrom are two vertically extending rows of fastening eyes 2'! which are disposed for engagement with hooks corners of the tubular memberare brought to- 2' gether as shown in Fig. 11.

The manner in which the headgear herein claimed and thus far described is applied to the head may now be set forth. The head is held in the position shown in Fig. 5, the hair hanging downwardly. The tubular member is now drawn over the hair and head, as shown in Fig. 6. The head is then raised to the position shown in Fig. 7, and the left side edge of the V-shaped opening is then brought over across the right side edge thereof until hooks '26 are enabled to engage a row of eyes 21. Which row of fastening eyes will be engaged by the fastening hooks will be determined in each individual case to insure appropriate tightness of the headgear about the head.

The lower corners of the tubular member are now raised above the head, as shown in Fig. 9. They are then brought down back of the head on both sides of the head and under the chin until hook 28 engages any selected one of eyes 29. The headgear is now securely mounted on the head and its lower corners are firmly secured to each other under the chin to prevent them from flapping around in annoying fashion.

The specific types of fastening members shown in the drawing need not necessarily be used although they appear best suited for the purpose. Other types may also be used in accordance with individual requirements and desires in the matter. Snap fasteners, for example, or buttons and button-holes may be preferred by some manufacturers and some wearers to the hook-andeye fasteners herein shown and described.

Although a single tubular member is shown in the drawing, it will be understood that this showing has been simplified for purposes of clarity since it is patentably immaterial whether the tubular member comprises a single layer construction or a multiple layer construction. And if a plurality of layers are used, it is patentably immaterial how these layers are fastened together, whether permanently or detachably. And it is further unimportant whether these several layers are made of the same or different material. For example, in a form of this invention the inner layer may be made of toweling or other absorbent material, and the outer layer of a relatively water-resistant material such as rubberized silk or a plastic material. In this form of the invention, the toweling may be removably attached to the inside of the rubberized silk to enable the user to remove the toweling for laundering, or for independent use. When thus separated, the waterproof outer covering may also be used for protecting the hair in a shower bath.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 2 is similar to that shown in Fig. 1, except that it is reinforced along all of its free edges. Thus, tubular member 30 shown in Fig. 2 is provided with a reinforcing band or tape 3| which extends along its top edge, another reinforcing band or tape 32 which extends along the right side of its V-shaped opening, a third reinforcing tape 3 .4 which extends along the major part of the left side edge of the V-shaped opening, and still another tape 34 which extends along the bottom edge of said tubular member. There is a cutout 35 in the upper corner of the left side edge of the V-shaped opening in tubular member 30, and it will be noted that a reinforcing piece 36 is affixed to said tubular member at said cutout. Another cutout 31 is formed in the upper righthand corner of the tubular member-and a reinforcing piece 38 is inserted therein. At the lower left-hand corner of the tubular member is cutout 39 and a reinforcing piece or insert 40 is fastened to the tubular member at said cutout. At the lower right-hand corner of the tubular member is still another cutout 4i and an insert 42 is therein provided. Insert 36 may be continuous with tape 33; insert 38 may be continuous with tape 3|; and inserts 40 and 42 may be continuous with tape 34. It is immaterial whether the several inserts and tapes hereinabove mentioned are separate, independent units or whether they are integral with each other as last above described, nor isit material how these inserts and tapes are fastened to the free edges of the tubular member, and one preferred method of fastening them is shown to be by means ofsnap fasteners 45. The use of these snap fasteners permits of removing the tapes and inserts from the tubular member for cleaning and other purposes. It will be noted that fastening hooks 26' in the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 are fastened to insert 36, that the eyes 21' are fastened to insert 38, that the hook 28 is fastened to insert 40, and that eyes '29 are fastened to insert 42.

This arrangement is especially useful where tubular member 30 is a relatively thin material, such as rubberized silk. In such cases, toweling may be supported on the inside of member 30 by any suitable means, such'as by means of snap fasteners 45. When rubberized silk is used for the purpose indicated, it is not sufficiently strong to have the hook and eye fasteners sewed thereto in the usual manner; hence it is necessary to make use of the inserts shown in the drawing. The manner in which the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 is used is similar to that described in connection with the embodiment shown in Fig. 1.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 3 diifers slightly from those shown in the first two figures of the drawing. In the first two embodiments, tubular members have been used and it was not found necessary, therefore, to provide any longitudinally extending seams. In the third embodiment, however, conventional sheet material is used and hence the two side edges thereof must be brought together and fastened by any suitable means. Making the headgear in this manner affords certain advantages. For example, flat material is probably more readily available, and at lower cost, than tubular material. Furthermore, the use of flat material enables the designer to shape the product somewhat differently from the way it is shown to be shaped in Figs. 1 and 2. In these two figures, the tubular members assume a substantially cylindrical shape when held open. In Fig. 3, however, the embodiment assumes the form of a truncated cone. When it is folded over upon itself as shown in Fig. 3, its two side edges 50 and SI are shown to converge, coming closer together at the top than at the bottom. A.

v-sh p d p ni g 2 is provided which cQr-' responds to the V-shaped opening 25 in the first embodiment. Hooks 26 and 28" and eyes 21 and 29" are provided in the third embodiment in substantially the same place as similar fastening means are shown to be provided in the first embodiment.

It will be noted in Fig. 3 that the two side edges which are sewed together overlap at 54 and that stitching is provided at 55 which is along the right side edge and at 56 which is along the left side edge of the overlapping portions. It will thus be apparent that a double row of stitches is provided to fasten the overlapping sides to each other.

The uses of the device are manifold. It may be applicable alike to children and adults. It may be applied to the hair after medication has been utilized, to protect the head and also to protect the pillows and other bed clothing from soil. It may be used With or without the waterproof covering. Without the waterproof covering, the device may be used as a head covering in the surgical and medical fields by surgeons, nurses and laboratory workers to contain the hair on the head and keep it from flying around. It may likewise be used in factories to protect the hair from being entangled in machinery. It is likewise applicable for use as a headgear in the field of sports to protect the head against wind, rain, and sun and to keep the hair from flying. It can be applied to parts of the body other than the head.

It will thus be understood that the foregoing describes extremely useful headgear which may be made in a great many forms within the scope of the present invention, and the embodiments shown in the drawing are intended to be illustrative rather than limitative thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. Headgear of the character described comprising a tubular member having at least one open end adapted to slip over the head of a wearer, said tubular member having a substantially V-shaped opening in its wall extending inwardly from the edge of said head opening, fastenin members affixed to said tubular member at both sides of said V-shaped opening whereby the side edges of said V-shaped opening may be brought together to hold the tubular member tightly about the head, and fastening members provided adjacent the opposite end of said tubular member at the corners which result when the tube is in flattened condition, said fastening members being adapted to engage each other when the other end of said member is brought down over the back of the head and said opposite corners are brought around their respective sides thereof and joined under the chin of the wearer.

2. Headgear of the character described comprising a tubular member adapted at one end to slip over the head of a wearer, a substantially V-shaped opening being provided in said head engaging end of the tubular member, fastening hooks provided at one side of the V-shaped opening and fastening eyes provided on the other side of said latter opening whereby the head engaging end of the tubular member may be wrapped tightly about the head of the wearer and adjustably held in place thereon by means of said hooks engagin said eyes, said tubular member when in a flattened condition having corners at the other end, a fastening hook provided in one corner of the other end of said tubular member, a plurality of cooperating eyes provided in the other corner of said other end of said tubular member, the portion of the tubular member not engaging the head of the wearer being adapted to be drawn down the back and along the sides of the head and neck to meet under the chin where the hooks and eyes provided therein may be brought into engagement with each other to hold said corners in place under the chin.

3. Headgear of the character described comprising a tubular length of toweling material having top and bottom ends at least one of which is open, a substantially V-shaped opening formed in the wall of said tube extending inwardly from the edge of said open end, reinforcments provided along the edges of said V-shaped opening and along the edges of the top and bottom ends of said tubular member, fastening hooks provided on the reinforcment at one side of the V- shaped opening, cooperating fastening eyes provided on the reinforcement on the opposite side of said V-shaped opening, a fastenin hook provided on the reinforcement in one of the corners which result from flattening the tube at the bottom end of said tubular member, cooperating fastening eyes provided on the reinforcement in the other corner so produced at said bottom end of the tubular member, the tubular member being adapted at the end having the V-shaped opening to be drawn over the head and hair of the wearer, the hooks and eyes at that end cooperating to hold the headgear in place on the head, the portion of the headgear which does not engage the head of the wearer being adapted to extend back over the head from the forehead to drape itself across the back of the head and back of the neck of the wearer, the bottom end of the draped portion of the tubular member bein drawn around the neck of the wearer by graspin the corners, and the cooperating fastening means on the edge of said corners being adapted to hold the respective parts in engaging position under the chin of the wearer.

FAITH HOPE KAHN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

